Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Why You Shouldn’t Succumb to Defeatism About the Affordable Care Act

This is another excellent post titled, Why You Shouldn't Succumb to Defeatism About the Affordable Care Act, by Robert Reich from his blog.

Like any change we need to give this time to succeed rather than listening to those that want to see it fail. All the nay-saying is mostly for political reasons anyhow! If we look back in history all of these programs have needed some tweaking.

While I don't agree with the Affordable Care Act, it is the best thing we can do to cover those that were unable to obtain insurance in the past and to hold insurance companies accountable. Press on!

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Joyeux Noel

I saw an excellent movie last night called Joyeux Noel, which is a French film from 2005. It is set in the trenches along the French and German border during World War I on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in 1914.

This is a true story of humanity that follows the stories of the men fighting the war from Scotland, France, and Germany that lay down their arms and celebrate Christmas together. There are many themes and layers to the film, not only with the various characters, but with war itself and how religion is used as a unifying force but also one that dehumanizes the enemy.

The message is as true today as it was in this most brutal war in which 20 million men were lost. To see the magnitude of those killed by machine guns, gas, and disease visit the World War I History Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. I thank the Minneapolis Conscious Cinema group for showing the film last evening. You can see the trailer of Joyeux Noel on YouTube.